The animal
Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) are the resident giants of Mabul's shallows — adults with shells a metre long, grazing on seagrass and algae in water shallow enough for snorkellers. Hawksbill turtles, smaller and hook-beaked, turn up regularly too, picking sponges off the reef structures. Unlike the macro celebrities on this list, turtles here are not a find; they are a routine, which somehow never makes the encounter smaller.
Where and when on Mabul
- Around the stilts and jetties: the structures shelter grazing areas, and bungalow guests routinely watch turtles from their decks.
- House reefs: nearly every dive and serious snorkel session logs at least one.
- Year-round: the residents do not migrate away; there is no wrong month for turtles here.
Conduct
The rules are simple and non-negotiable: no touching, no riding, no blocking a turtle's path to the surface — they breathe air, and a diver between a turtle and its next breath is a real problem, not an etiquette one. Give surfacing turtles a wide lane and the encounters stay long and relaxed.
The Sipadan multiplier
If Mabul's turtles impress you, Sipadan's will recalibrate you — the island 15 kilometres south is one of the world's great turtle aggregation sites, and the permit day out of Mabul is how you see it. How that works is covered in our Sipadan diving guide; the stay that wraps around it starts at the accommodation guide.